Don't eat theirs..ours is better..or not...

Sitting in my hotel room, watching another episode of Law and Order (love that show) and can't help but laugh when I see the commercial for Subway with the guy eating the greasy burger and he falls through his hammock. I have to admit I think it is a great advertisement..eating greasy burgers could very well cause you to bust out of more than just your hammock..

Subway is advertising their Orchard Chicken Salad Sub as a healthier option-  apparently one that won't cause you to break your hammock. Knowing what I do about advertising, and how effective (read deceptive) it can be, I decided to look into the nutrition facts for Subway's Orchard Chicken Salad Sub and compare it to a burger from Burger King. Voila! Guess what I found..nothing that surprised ME..but maybe something that will surprise YOU. Subway's Orchard Chicken Salad Sub (6 inch) comes in at 370 calories while Burger King Whopper Jr. has 340 calories. The Orchard Chicken Salad Sub also has 560 mg sodium and 54 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of sugar and 20 grams of protein.  Whopper Jr. comes with 530 mg sodium, 29 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams of sugar and 14 grams protein.  Hmmmmm...maybe that sub isn't better than that greasy burger after all.

What about this commercial http://youtu.be/tl1tKgIzNKg
Ok, let's look at the Black Forest Ham (6 inch) 290 calories (up to 350 depending on the cheese you pick) 830 mg sodium (not to forget add 200mg for cheese), 46 grams of carbohydrates, 8 grams of sugar and 18 grams of protein.  Roast Beef (6 inch)? Three hundred twenty calories, 700 mg sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, and 24 grams protein. Again..sub not sounding like a better option.

Am I saying eat the burger? Ummm, no.  I'd opt for neither.  Just trying to open your eyes..look past the picture presented to you.  High sodium and high glycemic index carbs (from highly processed sources- bread) are just bad news.  Reams of scientific evidence shows the link between consumption of high glycemic index carbohydrates and increased incidence of diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and some cancers.  “Long term consumption of a diet with relatively high GL is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.” Liu et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;71
So are the commercials funny and entertaining? Yes.  Are they leading you in a better direction? No.

Watching Law and Order for those of us not involved in law, law enforcement or forensics is just a form of entertainment.  It does not give us a true representation of the way things work in the real world.  Just ask anyone who works in those fields.  They often seem irritated when someone says: "Oh, you work in forensics- like on Law and Order or CSI!  That is so cool!"  Well, yes it may be a very interesting career but I can guarantee it is not as it appears on T.V.  This is the same frustration those of us involved in nutrition feel when we see commercials like these. They are entertaining, but not an accurate representation of the way things really work.